Scaling, annealing, and coating metals.



Y S. 0. GOWPBR-GOLES. SGALING, ANNEALING, AND COMING METALS.

APPLIATON FILED 00T. 29, 1909. 979,93 1

M @um m M www n@ QQ .i UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

SHERARD OSBOR COWvPER-COLES, 0F WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 METADLOIDS LIMITED, OF TIPTON, ENGLAND, A COMPANY;

SCALING, ANNEALINGQ AND COATING METALS..

Specification of Letters Pate-nt. Patented Die, 27, 1910,

ApplicationA l'ed October 29, 1909. Serial No. 525,309.

My invention has for its object to over come the disadvantage attaching to processes hitherto proposed and to thls end I employ gases such as Mond-gas, producer-gas, ,R1ch

`wood gas,-Water gas, or the vaporized lower members of the parafin and alcohol series, and I heat the metal surface to be cleaned to the annealing temperature and in some cases above the Yannealing tempbgature, in a large excess of such reducing gas, the Water vapor Which is generated during the reduction of the metallic scale or oxid being prevented from condensing in any part `of the apparatus by maintaining the ends ofthe apparatus, that is to say, those portions through which the material to be scaled enters and leaves, at a temperature of 100 to 150D C. by which means the water vapor which is formed passes out of the apparatus with the excess of reducing gas. The scaled and annealed metals may subsequently be coated with zinc, tin or the like in which case the scaling gases may be freed from sulfur compounds by being passed through a solution such as copper sulfate or caustic potash and from unsaturated hydrocarbons by being passed through strong sulfuric acid; the combined processes being carried out in a'suitable apparatus, for example, the apparatus mentioned in the former British speclcation No. 28636 of 1907.

In carrying out my invention as applied for example to the cleaning, annealing and galvanizing of iron sheets orrwire, I advantageously proceed as follows: The sheet or Wire to be treated is drawn into the heating chamber through a suitable opening,`

the reducing gases not freed from sulfur compounds or unsaturated hydrocarbons it is necessary to heat the chamber to a higher temperature than that necessary when scaling with the gases freed from sulfur compounds and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Any scale or oxid which may be present on the sheet or Wire is reduced-to the metallic state during the passage through the chamber.

After its passage through the annealing chamber the sheet or wire is drawn into a cooling chamber Where its temperature is lowered to a suitable point for runningl into the air for subsequent coating orv directly into the bath of molten metal beneath ,the

surface of which the sheet or wire is drawn by any convenient means such as roller mechanism. On leaving the bath Vthe cleaned annealed and coated'metal is passedthrough a second suitable opening sealed or other,- wise into the atmosphere.

It will be understood that the reducing gases referred to I are passed through the scaling and annealing 'apparatus or the scaling, annealing and coating apparatus and may in either case be finally employed for heating.V

In order that my invention may be clearly* understood, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, one form of apparatus by Which my process may be carried out, similar letters of reference indicating identical parts throughout, and in which Figure l is a longitudinal section of apparatus for carryin out the process herein described. Fig. 2 1s a plan View thereof.

a indicates the Wire to be treated and b is a chamber sealed with sand b or the like through which the Wire ispassed, c, c being guide rollers over which the Wire runs on enterinv the said chamber.

d-is a rib on the-upper part of the chamberd for keeping the Wire immersed in the san e is a tubular chamber through which the wire 'or the like passes from the chamber b; f, f are the inlet and outlet respectively in the chamber e for the hydrogen gas.

g is the galvanizing or tinning chamber arranged in'communication with the tubularchamber e between the ends thereof, and having a removable top g adapted to be sealed by molten metal of a vlovverjnfielting point than that forming the bath, anda supply pipe g2 for the metal forming the bath.

. la. are ude rollers for the wire as it enters and eaves the said chamber g, .and ,z' are rollers for guiding the Wire beneath the surface of the molten metal in the said` chamber, these rollers bein carried upon a rod j passin through a gui e hinl the top g of the cha-m r. g and being adjustable therein in order that the wire passing through .the chamber may be immersed to a greater rollers p, p over which the wire issues.' Where it is desired to merely clean and not tol coat the fwire a as it emer es from the tubuz lar chamber e, instead o Abeing conducted into the chamber g', it is fed through the sand seal g to the exterior.

Claim.

In vthe scaling and annealing of. metals which may be subsequentl coated, the process Whereb the metal is the annea ing temperature, in an atmosphere of a reducing gas, resent in excess over the amount necessarg to reduce the scale or rust to the metallic state, and the said metal at the time of beginning and completing the process is heated to a temperature of from 100 to 150 C.

v SHERARD osBoRN cWPER-COLES.

Witnesses.:A

H. D. JAMESON, J. SHURE.

eated to or above 

